different between unstable vs changeful

English

Etymology

un- +? stable

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?n?ste?b??/
• Rhymes: -e?b?l

Adjective

unstable (comparative more unstable, superlative most unstable)

1. Having a strong tendency to change.
2. Fluctuating; not constant.
3. Fickle.
4. Unpredictable.
5. (chemistry) Readily decomposable.
6. (physics) Radioactive, especially with a short half-life.

Synonyms

• (having strong tendency to change): labile
• (fluctuating, not constant): instable (rare); see also Thesaurus:unsteady
• (fickle): arbitrary, capricious
• (not held or fixed securely and likely to fall over): tottering, unsteady, wobbly; see also Thesaurus:rickety

Antonyms

• stable

Related terms

• instability
• unstability (rare)

Translations

Verb

unstable (third-person singular simple present unstables, present participle unstabling, simple past and past participle unstabled)

1. (transitive) To release (an animal) from a stable.

Anagrams

• abluents, ant-blues, bleaunts, blue ants, tunables, unablest

English

Etymology

change +? -ful

Adjective

changeful (comparative more changeful, superlative most changeful)

1. (rare) Changing frequently; very susceptible to change

   Synonyms: variable, fickle

   • 1606, William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida, act 4, scene 4, line 99:

     When we will tempt the frailty of our powers, presuming on their changeful potency.

Translations

References

• “changeful” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• changeful in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.